Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-10-26
THE ALLEGED CONFESSION LETTER.
Here follows the confession found in the
suicides room at % Geary street, addressed
to the Coroner:

CoNFE@sIoN.-The history of the tragedy CON-
mences after my sister married Dr. bowers. l
had certain reasons to think he would soon
Leave her as she always quarreled with him.
On one occasion she told me she would poison
him first before he should leave her said in
Jest: Have him insured first" and she said
i" All right Bowers for a long time objected
Finally she conquered. He said {" If, il will
keep you out of mischief, &C ahead" My sister
Joined several lodges, az also did Bowers Later
on, when he became q member of the Knights
OF the Golden Rule, got the stuff ready to dis
pose Of him, but my sister wouldn't listen to my
proposition, and threatened to expose me- After
my sister was sick for some time felt an ire
Sistable impulse to use the stuff on her and fin
lsh Bowers later. would become Administrator
for my niece Title. She would then have the
benefit OF the insurance think il was on Fri
day, November "a, 1885, that took one pill and
capsule out OF her box and filled the capsule
with two kinds of poison. put the CAPSULE
back and took another, until I exchanged
four capsules After my sister died l took
the two poison capsule / had marked out of
her pill-box. The pill and capsule took to Mr.
Falk and filed myself. Those ] gave to Dr.
Dennis were some that DR.. Martin had pre-
seribed ior my sister, did so because, on
second thought, found l had no excuse for
poisoning them. l did not think Bowers could
get into any trouble. for the person that fur
n.shed me with the poisons said chemist told
MN that no doctor could find il in the stomach
for it was blood poison. He called the other
stuff, think, the active principal of digitais =
or IA name something like il. | poisoned
one u the pOliNS Win the same stuff. | also
took Bowers money out of his Office desk
after my sisters death. l likewise forced nv
sister to give me an order for her insurance
policy in the Friends of the Pacific, but did
not present it. l make him this confession TO
correct some mistakes in my lost memorandum
book. ] used some names that had no counec-
ton with the affair, and SHOULD havel com
mitted suicide before the trial. As his Tthe?l
names may mplicate Others ! viii end the
tragedy. II. BENHAYoN.
ARE THE LETTERS FORGERIES
The confession ends here An effort will
be made to introduce it before the Supreme
Court, SO as to influence the decision of
that Court in Bowers behalf but an equally
strong effort will be made by the dead
mans friends to show that the documents
are forgeries, and that the entire work is
the work of DR.. Bowers, who secured ac-
complies to murder Benhayon and draft
the foregoing documents.
The Inquest.
The inquest was held in Judge Toohy's
Courtroom at the old CITY Hall. 1t was
crowded, the corridor leading to it was also
filled with would-be spectators anxious to
hear the first news of the developments as
they occurred.
The first witness called was Mrs. Ben
hayon, mother of the deceased She testi-
lied to her sons good character, and that
he was very fond of Mrs. DR.. Bowers, his
sister, for whose death DR.. j. Milton Bow
er5 her husband, is now under sen
tence of death. She was shown the
letters left by the suicide, comprising
those addressed to the Coroner, the confess
sion, the letter addressed to friend, and
other documents believed to be in the
handwriting of her son. In no case was
she positive of his chirogrophy, even when
papers taken from the suicides room AT
his parents mouse, and undoubtedly in his
writing, were shown her. She stated, how
ever, persistently that his confession and
the letter addressed to the Coroner were
not IN her sons handwriting
The next witness was NJ s. Highson. the
landlady OF the house in which the body of
the suicide was found. She testified that
Benhayon was one of three men who en-
gagged the room a few days before that on
which it was occupied. This disposes of
the theory that the room was engaged bv
some persons who inveigled the deceased
into 1t, and later murdered him.
Coroner Stanton then took the stand and
testified to the receipt of certain letters. and
read them and others written bv Benhavon
previous to the suicide When the confess
sion was being read intense silence pre-
vailed, and before il was finished Mrs. Ben
hayon was in tears.
Dr. Blach testified that he had held an
autopsy on the body, and had found no
marks 81 violence whatever An exsmina-
ton OF the stomach failed to reveal the
cause OF death. Other indications. how
ever, pointed to death by a corrosive poison
cyanide of potassium, or some similar
poison.